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1. Jim Tucker (Council)
On a field covered with some of the best 8-man players in the Idaho, the sophomore was dominant, rushing the ball 12 times for 282 yards and four scores, including the eventual game-winning TD as Council edged Tri-Valley, 58-50, to clinch the Long Pin title.
2. Gavin Draper (Grace)
Ho-hum, just another all-around dynamic performance from the senior. Draper threw for 275 yards and six TDs against rival Butte County. He also rushed for 53 yards and a score while chipping in three tackles and an interception on defense for the Grizzlies.
3. Craig Yost (North Gem)
In his final performance in a Cowboy uniform, Yost carried the ball 35 times for 318 yards and seven touchdowns in North Gem's win over rival Rockland. He added eight tackles and an interception as North Gem finished the season as co-champs of the Rocky Mountain Conference.
Honorable Mention
Cooper Williams (Butte County)
Stockton Sears (Carey)
Chris Hinkle (Cascade)
Shae Parrish (Castleford)
Adan Melwing (Clearwater Valley)
Beckett Beyer (Coeur du Christ)
Jarrett Keen (Deary)
Noah Bollman (Genesee)
Juan Juarez (Glenns Ferry)
Casen Knight (Hagerman)
Dan Gibson (Hansen)
Lawson Landmark (Kamiah)
Tanner Clemenhagen (Kendrick)
Rashawn Henry (Lapwai)
Jace Cronce (Lewis County)
Baxter Covington (Logos)
Roylee Jones (Mackay)
Preston Stanger (Murtaugh)
Ramiro Contreras (Notus)
Bridger Conant (Oakley)
Jay Marshall (Potlatch)
Kade Quintal (Prairie)
Ruger Ward (Raft River)
Zach Permann (Rockland)
Riley Davis (Salmon River)
Finn Green (Shoshone)
Ares Mabberly (Timberline)
Eli Noah (Tri-Valley)
Payton Christensen (Troy)
Thomas Vargas (Valley)
Cooper Miller (Wallace)
Korban Nelson (Waterpsrings)
Gelacio Martinez (Wilder)
Go For It
Time was running out in the Long Pin clash between old rivals Council and Tri-Valley. The Lumberjacks, nursing a slim, two-point lead, had the ball around midfield, facing a 4th-and-21. Conventional wisdom said punt - don't give the ball to a powerful offense like Tri-Valley near midfield with a chance to win the game in the final minute. Council coach JC Tucker didn't listen to conventional wisdom. Instead, he put the ball in his senior quarterback's hands, and that quarterback, Owen Hatfield, delivered a perfect deep ball downfield against nearly perfect coverage from Tri-Valley's Jace Waggoner. His receiver, Bryson Evans, made a tremendous catch against that coverage, converting the first down and helping to clinch the dramatic, 58-50, victory.
MaxMath
Looking at the 1A bracket, the 2-5 Timberline Spartans qualified for the postseason. Meanwhile, the 6-3 Rockland Bulldogs, co-champs of the Rocky Mountain Conference, did not. The 6-3 North Gem Cowboys, also co-champs of the Rocky Mountain Conference, did not. The 5-4 Shoshone Indians, who won four conference games, did not. No one is asking Timberline to apologize for earning a berth under the current playoff-selection format, far from it. But there are plenty of people across the state at the 1A level who are asking if there's a better way to cut the apple rather than relying solely on a mathematical formula.
Zach Attack
We mentioned North Gem's win over Rockland, which drew a curtain on the season for both teams as co-champs (along with Challis, who earned the automatic 1A playoff berth) of the Rocky Mountain Conference. In doing so, it ended one of the best 8-man football campaigns in Idaho in 2025. Rockland's Zach Permann had over 300 yards and five touchdowns receiving in the contest, which pushed him past the 1,000-yard mark as both a rusher and a receiver (1,390 yards and 19 TDs rushing, 1,043 yards and 12 TDs receiving). He also added touchdowns via kickoff return, punt return, and interception return. He had 70 tackles in all, an average of nearly eight per game, and four interceptions on defense. Oh, and for the record, Permann is just a junior.
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